The EP debates the attack on the Ibër-Lepenci canal

2024-12-02 18:45:27, Kosova & Bota CNA

On December 2, the Committee for Foreign Policy of the European Parliament discussed the November 29 attack on the Ibër-Lepenci water channel in Zubin Potok, Kosovo.

In this debate, Kosovo was represented by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gërvalla.

The chairman of this commission, David McAllister, at the beginning of the debate expressed the EP's concern about the recent attacks in the north of Kosovo, such as those on municipal buildings, as well as the one against the Ibër-Lepenci canal. He recalled that the European Parliament strongly condemned these acts, which he said destabilize Kosovo.

The Kosovar chief diplomat, Donika Gërvalla, linked Zubin Potok's latest attack in Varragë with Russia, saying that Serbia is working according to a Russian scenario.

The prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, made similar accusations earlier, who accused Serbia of being behind the attack with explosive devices in Zubin Potok. Serbia has denied involvement and said it has launched its own investigations into the case.

"This issue is related to war and peace. I don't want to lecture them, but to warn them about a very disturbing situation", said Gërvalla, describing the attack as "Russia's attempt to destabilize the region".

Gërvalla compared the recent attacks in the north of Kosovo - inhabited by a majority of Serbs - with the attacks that Russia carried out against Ukraine.

"Serbia is not Russia, but it is copying Russia's strategies and using them in the region," said Gërvalla, who also spoke about the earlier armed attack in Banjska in Zveçan last year.

She claimed that in this attack, when a Kosovo policeman was killed, Russia also played a role.

"This is not an ethnic tension, no disagreement between Kosovo and Serbia. What is happening is escalation that happens over many years. This is a test to see what the West can accept", said Gërvalla.

She also said that behind the latest attack in Zubin Potok is the person who organized the attack in Banjska - a reference to Millan Radoicic.

Gërvalla demanded that the European Union take measures to "stop Serbia", so that, according to her, peace and stability can be ensured not only in Kosovo, but in the entire region.

The attack on Kosovo's critical infrastructure was also condemned on behalf of the EP by Davor Ivo Stier, who is the head of the EP delegation for relations with Kosovo, and Riho Terras, rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament. They had issued a joint statement on the occasion.

Some members of the European Parliament, expressing solidarity with Kosovo, however, have expressed that they need to see more evidence for the accusations that Gërvalla has made about the involvement of Serbia in the recent attacks in the north.

The attack took place in the village of Varragë in the municipality of Zubin Potok - a municipality with a Serbian majority in the north of the country.

The Kosovo Police said that the attack was carried out with explosives weighing up to 20 kilograms.

The Ibër-Lepenc Canal supplies water from Lake Ujman to the entire north of Kosovo, the regions of Mitrovica, Pristina and its surroundings, as well as the Kosovo Energy Corporation for cooling its thermal power plants.

The attack in Zubin Potok has been strongly condemned by the international factor./ REL